Bozen - Venice with charme

Wine – Palazzos – Gondoliers

Somewhere, far beyond the horizon, Venice and the sea are waiting for you! But there will be many temptations on your way there. Stunning countryside and attractive towns invite you to linger on your journey: the vineyards of South Tyrol, Verona, Vicenza and Padua, Lake Garda. Relax in the thermal spas in Abano or in traditional Italian taverns. And then eventually, you will see the sea. Venice. The town built on piles. Lord Byron once wrote, “I saw from out the wave of her structure’s rise, as from the stroke of the enchanter’s wand: A thousand years their cloudy wings expand around me”. Venice will also bewitch you. And yet the journey will be your goal!

Itinerary

You will pedal along beautiful cycle paths beside the river Adige, partly through orchards, to Salorno where the German speaking Tyrol ends. The pathways along a dam lead right to Trento (picturesque old town).

First, you will continue to cycle along the Adige, through Rovereto and on to Mori from where the tour leads westwards towards Lake Garda. After a short ascent, you will descend down to the lake to Torbole and further on to Riva. From here, a boat trip will then take you down the entire length of the lake.

Today’s route is initially flat and then you will cycle through the Monti Berici hills to the excursion area of Vicenza, with a beautiful view over the city. To make this longer stage a bit shorter, you can also travel the first part by train to San Bonifacio. In the old town of Vicenza you can feel the spirit of Palladio, the famous architect from the Middle Ages.

On leaving Vicenza, you will see numerous Venetian villas, such as the Villa Rotonda. The route along the river Bacchiglione leads to Abano Terme, one of the famous Italian spa towns. From Abano Terme, you can easily travel by bus to Padua, the city of St Anthony and the scholars. There you will have enough time to enjoy the thermal baths. If you are culturally-minded, you can enjoy Padua overnight for an additional charge!

With a light wind behind you most of the time, it’s an easy ride towards the sea. The landscape is full of meadows and fields. This stage will take you to the mainland before Venice, with its excellent bus service into the city of lagoons.

The tour can also be combined with the Adige cycle path, as well as the “Venice to Florence” tour.

Tour character

The terrain is flat to slightly hilly. The only strenuous stretch is through the Monti Berici hills. The first two stages are mainly cycle paths and to the south and east of Lake Garda mostly service and side roads. Due to a lack of cycle paths along some sections, cycling on roads with moderate traffic is unfortunately unavoidable. Nearly all roads are asphalted.